Overview

In August the Basilica of the Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by about 2.5 million believers throughout the country

Description of the Virgin – Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles

The composition, which consists of three different stones. graphite, jade and volcanic rock Archaeologists are very interested in this composition because it is very difficult, almost impossible, to unite the three stones; however, they say that the image of the Virgin has characteristics of all of them.

Research has found that in that time no graphite was mined in Costa Rica, only in Europe, while in the Old Continent the other two rocks were also not possible to found. Based on this fact, one could conclude that our patron saint has features of both continents.

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It is 20 cm high, they call the Bold – Negrita, though its true color is a gray-greenish. The Virgin looks straight ahead while her son looks straight into my eyes and with his little hand touches his heart. See more catholic shrines in South America.

Pilgrimage

In August the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by about 2.5 million believers throughout the country, many of whom join in the celebrated 22-kilometer walk to the basilica during the Romería.

Though many people start the pilgrimage from locations all over Costa Rica, some, as a demonstration of their piety, choose to crawl the 22 kilometers on their hands and knees.

At the basilica they wash themselves and drink the water from the rock on which the statue was found. Scientists have since found this water to be safe to drink even though no filtration or chemicals are used to purify the water.

History of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles

Cartago in 1635, mulattos lived in Puebla de los Pardos, a neighborhood east of the city, shortly after the cross of Caravaca, a sign that the mulattoes can not enter the city. A short distance away, lived a humble woman who used to go every morning to the forest in search of firewood. At that site, August 2, the poor woman found a small stone on a stone image. Juana Pereira, ignoring the importance of his discovery, picked it up, took it home and put it in a box.

At noon, women returned to the place and found yet again the stone image. Filled with admiration, she took it, thinking it was similar to previous and took it home. Upon opening the box, to keep it near with the one which was found first, she got a tremendous surprise: The first stone was gone!

Her amazement grew when, for the third time, she returned and found the image on the same stone. Again she took it home, where she wanted to put it near the other, and again the box was empty.

She was alarmed to such an extent that she ran to the priest, she told him what happened and she gave hime the image. The priest put it in a box promising to carefully examine it when he would had the time.

The next day, woman returned to the same place to collect firewood, and saw again on the stone, what she had found three times already. Again she ran to the priest who hurried and accompanied by others went to the place of finding. From there, the image led in procession to the parish church, depositing it in the tabernacle. The next day when they wanted to examine it, the figure had disappeared again. Back in the place, they found, for the fifth time the small picture.

They examined it more carefully and they noticed that it was the image of the Virgin Mary and the Child in her arms. They understood then that the Mother of Jesus Christ wanted to have her home there and were given the task to build her a chapel right there.

The small image of 20 centimeters was baptized with the name Virgin Los Angeles, on the August 2, when the Franciscans celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Angels or the Porziuncola. Cartago enjoys having a wide Franciscan community, hence the Church worships God’s gift honoring the small picture with the same title as the Saint of Assisi gave to his heavenly mother.

Video

Pilgrimage

In August the Basilica of Nuestra Señora Los Angeles is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by about 2.5 million believers throughout the country, many of whom join in the celebrated 22-kilometer walk to the basilica during the Romería. Though many people start the pilgrimage from locations all over Costa Rica, some, as a demonstration of their piety, choose to crawl the 22 kilometers on their hands and knees.

At the basilica they wash themselves and drink the water from the rock on which the statue was found. Scientists have since found this water to be safe to drink even though no filtration or chemicals are used to purify the water.

Your first and last contact with Costa Rica is the modern Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), situated in the center of the country. Cartago is a city in Costa Rica, about 25 km (16 mi) east of the capital, San José.

History of Nuestra Señora Los Angeles

Cartago in 1635, mulattos lived in Puebla de los Pardos, a neighborhood east of the city, shortly after the cross of Caravaca, a sign that the mulattoes can not enter the city. A short distance away, lived a humble woman who used to go every morning to the forest in search of firewood. At that site, August 2, the poor woman found a small stone on a stone image. Juana Pereira, ignoring the importance of his discovery, picked it up, took it home and put it in a box.

At noon, women returned to the place and found yet again the stone image. Filled with admiration, she took it, thinking it was similar to previous and took it home. Upon opening the box, to keep it near with the one which was found first, she got a tremendous surprise: The first stone was gone!

Her amazement grew when, for the third time, she returned and found the image on the same stone. Again she took it home, where she wanted to put it near the other, and again the box was empty.

She was alarmed to such an extent that she ran to the priest, she told him what happened and she gave hime the image. The priest put it in a box promising to carefully examine it when he would had the time.

The next day, woman returned to the same place to collect firewood, and saw again on the stone, what she had found three times already. Again she ran to the priest who hurried and accompanied by others went to the place of finding.

From there, the image led in procession to the parish church, depositing it in the tabernacle. The next day when they wanted to examine it, the figure had disappeared again. Back in the place, they found, for the fifth time the small picture.

They examined it more carefully and they noticed that it was the image of the Virgin Mary and the Child in her arms. They understood then that the Mother of Jesus Christ wanted to have her home there and were given the task to build her a chapel right there.

The small image of 20 centimeters was baptized with the name Virgin Los Angeles, on the August 2, when the Franciscans celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Angels or the Porziuncola. Cartago enjoys having a wide Franciscan community, hence the Church worships God’s gift honoring the small picture with the same title as the Saint of Assisi gave to his heavenly mother.

For this reason, it is certain that the discovery happened that day, but not the exact year. It is estimated that it was before 1639 although some take it for granted that it was in 1635. The young woman who had the honor of finding the image of Our Lady of the Angels seem to be lost in the history of Costa Rica.

The Archbishop of San Jose II, Monsignor Victor Manuel Sanabria, tried to recover data of her. In his research he found that many women in the area were called Juana and led by surname Pereira.

By not giving the identity of the girl he called her “Juana Pereira” as a tribute to all the mulatto women who knew the true young woman that found the image of Nuestra Señora Los Angeles.

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